Homi Kharas

Homi Kharas is the Interim Vice President and Director of the Global Economy and Development program. In that capacity, he studies policies and trends influencing developing countries, including aid to poor countries, the emergence of the middle class, and global governance and the G-20. He has advised the UN Secretary General on the post-2015 development agenda, and has consulted for various governments, including Sweden and Malaysia, as well as for international organizations, including the World Bank Group, the United Nations, the International Fund for Agriculture Development, the OECD, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Global Fund Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Qatar National Research Fund, and the Centennial Group.

Prior to joining Brookings, Dr. Kharas spent 26 years at the World Bank, serving for seven years as Chief Economist for the World Bank’s East Asia and Pacific region and Director for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management, Finance and Private Sector Development, responsible for the Bank’s advice on structural and economic policies, fiscal issues, debt, trade, governance and financial markets. He holds a PhD in economics from Harvard University and has an M.A. and B.A. from King's College, University of Cambridge.